Barangay executive arrested for bribery

A barangay secretary from Maguing, Lanao del Sur was arrested for allegedly bribing a high-ranking official of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group yesterday afternoon in a bid to save his younger brother who was earlier arrested with 25 grams of shabu.

Rashid Samporno, 28, reportedly handed acting CIDG chief Rex Derilo P50,000 inside the latter's office at around 2 p.m. so as to spare his younger half-brother, Michael Suron, from being charged in court.

Suron was arrested on Saturday in a buy-bust operation at his rented apartment in Cansaga, Consolacion where he reportedly handed a medium pack of shabu to a poseur-buyer.

SPO1 Delfin Bontuyan claimed that Samporno arrived at their office yesterday morning and reportedly offered P50,000 so no case would be filed against his brother, prompting them to set up an entrapment operation in the afternoon.

"He (Samporno) said the money was para kuno dili file-lan og kaso si Michael. I told him he should be assisted by a lawyer and not by us. But he said areglo kuno," Derilo said.

Meanwhile, another suspected drug pusher, Jose Rombaing, was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the CIDG in Pitogo, Consolacion Saturday evening. Rombaing was reportedly caught with two grams of shabu.

In Mandaue City, the police arrested a suspected drug pusher and a marijuana user the other day.

Arrested were Mark Heyrosa, 24, of barangay Looc, and Jonart Las Piñas, 32, of barangay Tabok.

Heyrosa reportedly yielded a small pack of shabu and P100 marked money while Las Pinas was caught with four marijuana sticks and a disposable lighter.

Members of the Mandaue City Anti- Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group conducted the operation following reports of Heyrosa's illegal drug activities.

A police decoy bought a pack of shabu from Heyrosa using a P100 marked money. Heyrosa was arrested in the act of receiving the money.

In barangay Opao, Mandaue City, policemen assigned at Police Station 5 was informed that a man was creating trouble in the barangay. The lawmen, led by PO2 Dindo Tajanlangit, rushed to barangay Opao and arrested the man, who was identified later as Las Pinas.

When frisked by the policemen, Las Piñas yielded the marijuana sticks.

In Tuburan town, a man and two women were arrested by the elements of Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, which raided a house in barangay Apalan yesterday dawn.

Led by P/Insp. Wilftredo Pulvera, the police arrested a certain Louella Montejo Ypo, 34, and couple Marti and Eva Marie Bontia.

The couple, although both are residents of barangay Bagasawe, temporarily lived in the house of Ypo. Eva is the sister of Ypo's husband.

The PIIB operation was effected on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Gaudioso Villaceran of a regional trial court in Toledo City.

Pulvera said the raid was carried out following complaints that the three were engaged in illegal drug activities.

During the raid, the police were able to seize several packs of shabu, illegal drug paraphernalia, several masiao tally sheets and a green motorcycle.

When arrested, the suspects denied owning some of the seized drugs and instead told reporters that the stuff confiscated from them were only tawas powder.